
Untitled 4 from the Interrupted Series, 2010
C-print
40 x 60 in / 102 x 152.5 cm
Untitled 3 from the Interrupted Series, 2010
C-print
28 x 60 in / 71 x 152.5 cm
Untitled 2 from the Interrupted Series, 2010
C-print
28 x 60 in / 71 x 152.5 cm
Untitled 1 from the Interrupted Series, 2010
C-print
40 x 60 in / 102 x 152.5 cm
Icon #5 (video still), 2010
Video portrait
Edition of 5, 2 AP's
Icon #4 (video still), 2010
Video portrait
Edition of 5, 2 AP's
Icon #3 (video still), 2010
Video portrait
Edition of 5, 2 AP's
Icon #2 (video still), 2010
Video portrait
Edition of 5, 2 AP's
Icon #1 (video still), 2010
Video portrait
Edition of 5, 2 AP's
There Are No Non-Believers in Hell, 2010
Two-channel video installation
The Day of the Last Judgement (Coffee House Painting) (video still), 2009
Video projection on canvas
65 x 117 in / 165 x 297 cm
Edition of 5, 2 AP's
Idyllic Life (video still 4), 2012
HD video
Special effects and sound design: Johnny Azari
Idyllic Life (video still 3), 2012
HD video
Special effects and sound design: Johnny Azari
Idyllic Life (video still 2), 2012
HD video
Special effects and sound design: Johnny Azari
Toil (The King of Black), 2013
Lenticular 3D depth on acrylic sheet
30 x 41.5 in / 76.x 2 105.41 cm
Queen of Houries (The King of Black), 2013
Lenticular 3D depth on acrylic sheet
30 x 41.5 in / 76.2 x 105.41 cm
Hijlah or Unconsummated Love (The King of Black), 2013
Lenticular 3D depth on acrylic sheet
30 x 41.5 in / 76.2 x 105.41 cm
The Mourners (The King of Black), 2013
Lenticular 3D depth on acrylic sheet
30 x 41.5 in / 76.2 x 105.41 cm
The Heavenly Bed (The King of Black), 2013
Lenticular 3D depth on acrylic sheet
30 x 41.5 in / 76.2 x 105.41 cm
Banquette of Houries, (The King of Black), 2013
Lenticular 3D depth on acrylic sheet
30 x 41.5 in / 76.x 2 105.41 cm
Fanatics of Tangier or The Muslim Rage, 2013
Oil on canvas
62 x 82 in / 157.5 x 208.2 cm
The Dance of Alema or The Ugly Hamza, 2013
Oil on canvas
58 x 40 in / 147.3 x 101.6 cm
The Snake Charmer or The Anatomy of the 21st Century Savage, 2013
Oil on canvas
58 x 40 in / 147.3 x 101.6 cm
Oriental Bath or Bunnies R Us, 2013
Oil on canvas
35 x 22 in / 88.9 x 55.9 cm
Toil: Or Blind Fate, 2014
Archival inkjet print
40.5 x 54 in / 102.9 x 137.2 cm
he King of Black, 2013
HD video with sound; 24 minutes
Sound design and musical arrangement: Johnny Azari
Original score composed and performed by C. Ryan McVinney
Idyllic Life (video still), 2012
HD video
Special effects and sound design: Johnny Azari
Shoja Azari was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1958. As a teenager, Azari experimented with short films, and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution involved himself in underground culture – literature, theater, and politics. After moving to New York in 1983, he received a Master’s degree in Psychology from New York University. He met artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat in 1997, and they have developed a body of collaborative work, which includes video installations, short films and a multimedia theater piece.
In his work, Azari confronts broad themes of gender, politics and piety, drawing inspiration from and re-interpreting religious icons. While collaborating with Neshat on a wealth of film and video projects, Azari created experimental and art house films, including an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s work, called K (2000) and a series of short films, Windows (2005). Windows premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, bringing him into the public eye. Azari and Neshat’s film Women Without Men won the Silver Lion for best director at the 2009 Venice Film Festival. Azari has since developed a style of “video paintings” that combine media to produce a unique three-dimensional effect. He has partnered with artist Shahram Karimi on a variety of multimedia projects.
Azari’s work has been exhibited globally, with solo shows throughout Europe and North America; his first solo show was at Leila Heller Gallery in 2010. Azari has participated in exhibitions at the Venice Biennale, at museums such as Germany’s Haus der Kulturen and the MUSAC in Spain, and at art fairs including Art Basel, Switzerland, ARCO, Spain, and Art Dubai. His works are in the permanent collections of various museums and foundations, including the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in the United States, and the Farjam Collection in the UAE. He lives and works in New York.